


fox and turtle

by theriveroflight



Series: get burned every time my back is turned [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Consequences, F/M, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), Sad Ending, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22824094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: Part of a larger series about the identities of Miraculous holders and how it impacts their relationships.What are the consequences of Miracle Queen on the temporary heroes? This particular installment goes into those consequences, expanding canon - but not diverging from it in a way that is improbable.
Relationships: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Series: get burned every time my back is turned [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640812
Comments: 12
Kudos: 59
Collections: February 2020 - Character Appreciation





	fox and turtle

**Author's Note:**

> Feb 20 - Nino Lahiffe

They learn on Heroes’ Day.

And now that he knows, it starts to fall together. Rena appeared for the first time when Alya’s sisters were akumatized. It makes sense that Ladybug would choose her for the task. Sometimes personal involvement makes the best weapon.

He would certainly know. It’s how he helped beat Anasi.

Another one of Alya’s sisters.

Here’s the thing.

Nino remembers when Alya wasn’t the center of his universe, when he wasn’t spinning around the everything that she was, her gravity constantly tugging him closer.

He’s never really revolved around anyone like he has around her.

Marinette kind of tugged him closer, the bond of their friendship bringing them closer, but ultimately she wasn’t who he really wanted. Just the safe option.

Safe isn’t always better.

He might have a safety superpower. But loving Alya is anything but safe, as they tremble on the precipice between diversion and lying.

And it fucks them up, knowing each other. It screws them up on Heroes’ Day.

(That was their fight. There were no real winners that day.)

Ladybug was desperate. He knows that Alya was acting, and that she didn’t  _ really  _ know before. She suspected, based on what was happening, but she didn’t know for sure. For Nino, it just made sense.

Ladybug was desperate, and revealed them to each other.

It was a mistake.

* * *

Lila comes and enthralls everyone. Nino doesn’t know for sure, but he trusts Marinette. He trusts Alya, too. His trust in both of them divides him, tears him apart in conflict. His childhood best friend, or his girlfriend?

“I know what happened during Heroes’ Day.” She talks to him one day. The fake fox bitch.

“You were supposed to be away during that, right?” he asks.

“That isn’t important,  _ Carapace.”  _ She knows. She knows, and she isn’t supposed to know. “That’s right. Your little girlfriend told me by accident. She seemed oh-so guilty afterwards, but she clearly didn’t tell you.” Lila scoffs. “Too ashamed to own up to her mistakes. And you’re going to back me. Or else I’ll out you to everyone.”

* * *

In the end, that threat doesn’t even matter.

Because Miracle Queen nullifies all that. Ladybug personally visits them to tell them what happened.

“I’m talking to the other heroes, too. We all know about Heart Hunter. You recorded it.” She speaks to Alya with that. “But nobody knows what happened after. It’s just me, Chat, Hawk Moth, Mayura, and Chloe.”

“What happened, Ladybug?” he asks. Because he has to.

“Hawk Moth took advantage of Chloe’s parents, who were akumatized during Heart Hunter, to get her on their side. He gave her the choice - her parents and the Bee, or nothing and just the preservation of morals. Faced with that, she made the decision for the Bee, and became Miracle Queen. I made a mistake, and accidentally exposed the identity of the Guardian of the Miracle Box - where all of the Miraculous come from. I came to him transformed, and that led to his downfall. Miracle Queen had her wasps and stung everyone. Chat and I had to go underwater to avoid getting stung. And then when everyone had been stung, she summoned all the Miraculous users to meet her. Hawk Moth and Mayura were fighting the Guardian, and you all had been exposed. I mean all of you - there were a couple whose weren’t in the box, but overall, most of you were exposed by her. I don’t really know all of what happened, because I wasn’t there for all of it. But I have to say that unfortunately, I’m not allowed to give you  _ your  _ Miraculous anymore so that you can become the hero you used to be. I mean, I have a few alternate designs, if you want to take up a new name and use a different Miraculous, but that might be too obvious. The other solution is to take up a different Miraculous, but every user has one Miraculous that suits them best and a few others that would also suit them, but not as well. I have a feeling that you would make a good Tiger, Alya, but ultimately, I picked the Miraculous that suited you both best. I have a few ideas about suit changes you could make, but ultimately, it’s up to you if you want the burden again.”

“Thank you, Ladybug,” Alya answers.

“For giving us a chance, even after Heroes’ Day,” he adds. “And we understand why you can’t now.”

He squeezes her hand. It’ll be okay.

* * *

It will absolutely not be okay.

Three arguments happen within the next three days, and they’re all the same thing. Alya blaming him for exposing them. Nino arguing that there’s nothing they could do, especially since Lila knew, too.

He doesn’t want  _ this  _ to spell the end of their relationship, but he feels like it didn’t have much to start off on.

There have been plenty of rumors about how they got together - especially since their anniversary is the day of an akuma attack, a day soured by the presence of a butterfly.

Maybe they should break up.

* * *

One of their arguments attracts a butterfly, somehow, and he’s holding onto Alya’s necklace as a way to restrain her, and then there’s the voice of compulsion.

Hawk Moth, his words filled with charm.

“Oblivio. I am Hawk Moth. You wish to make them forget? They will.”

They both look up, he sees her with the butterfly mask and dreads it. “No,” he hears himself say. The word trembles in the air between them. He tries to let go, but it's part of his worst nightmares, he can't let go, and his refusal sounds weak to even his ears.

He feels tortured by the butterfly, and it’s relieving when he lets it wash over him, even as foreboding and evil its influence feels.

* * *

Nino is cursed with remembrance, even after the Miraculous Ladybug has come through and saved them.

* * *

_ Oblivio searches for Chloe and searches for Ladybug and Chat Noir. Chloe is an easy target outside of the Queen Bee guise, a coward at best and a villain at worst. _

_ A swipe, and Chloe no longer knows that Nino and Alya are Carapace and Rena. _

_ Ladybug and Chat Noir find them eventually. Their shots miss every time and they know that the superheroes remember the last time. _

_ But they’re off to find Lila, who held it over their heads. Hawk Moth tries to dissuade them from their chosen path, but they have chosen. _

_ “You will pay for what you did to us,” they say in the blended monotone. Lila cowers, and they feel joy for making the unflappable scared. _

_ A swipe - and Ladybug and Chat Noir swoop in. Chat tackles them. _

_ The shot lands, but it isn’t long before they are defeated. _

* * *

In the end, he has to break up with Alya.

They can’t keep up a relationship like this.

“Alya,” he says. “We can’t keep going like this.”

“Are we breaking up?” She sounds almost affronted. But his…ex…was shaking, and he knew it was a front.

“It’s not healthy to keep a relationship like this. Maybe someday, but right now isn’t the right time.”

He sets a note between them. “It was easier to write about why than talk about it. I’m sorry, Al.”

_ “Sorry _ doesn’t do anything,” she snaps. But he walks away, with nothing left to say.

* * *

_ Alya, _

_ Our relationship started out shakily. Adrien was trying to set Marinette and I up that day. And I know you were setting Adrien and Marinette up. Who knew that my lie to Adrien would lead to this? _

_ (I did lie to Adrien. I never had a crush on Marinette, but it was easy.) _

_ I think the turning point for the worse was Heroes’ Day. You think Ladybug can do no wrong - but she made a mistake. _

_ Miracle Queen didn’t end us. _

_ It just moved forwards something that may have happened anyways. _

_ It's cliche to say “it’s not you, it’s me.” So I won’t. _

_ But I do think that I wasn’t in it for you. I was in it for the support, for the not being alone. _

_ I don't think it’s for the best that we have any relationship. Yes, our paths will cross - it's unavoidable. But it’ll be better if I stay away from you. _

_ From the moment you held my hand when we got locked in that panther cage I knew that you would support me, and that I would do the same. _

_ You validated me. _

_ And as much as you deluded yourself, it was never really healthy to me. I grew overly reliant on you. All that arguing just brought our relationship to a quicker end. _

_ Or at least that’s what I’d like to believe. _

_ All the best, _

_ Nino. _

**Author's Note:**

> [ Join the ML Fanfiction Server!](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks)


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